I knew when Pope Francis was chosen that he was going to be something different. A lot of his comments seemed pretty conservative and guarded before he was chosen, but that was just to tow the party line. He is a man of the people and a barrier breaker.

Disclaimer: I am not Catholic and have none in my family. I was raised Lutheran.

He has made statements about gays (and he used the word gay, not homosexual) among a number of other statements that challenge current church positions.

"The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules," Francis said. "The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all." Read more here: link

I dare say he is light years (in distance of course, yoyo) ahead of any preceding pontiff. If the faithful put up with him, I don't think the church is going to be the same when he gets done.

Here are some of his statements:

The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently," Francis said.

"The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules," Francis said. "The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all."

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